My Thoughts on Super Monday Night Combat

I've been wanting to write about this game for a few weeks now, but it's been difficult to find the time. As such, I'm going to keep this short and sweet. "Super Monday Night Combat" (SMNC) is a game you should be playing.

To expand on that a bit, SMNC is a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game in the spirit of similar titles like "League of Legends" and "Defense of the Ancients" (DotA). This genre of gaming is generally defined by a few key design motifs that boil down to two small teams of player-controlled "heroes" battling in arenas that are divided into sections (lanes) while being supported and opposed by computer-controlled creatures (creeps).

Most MOBAs are deeply rooted in the mechanics of classic Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games like "Warcraft" due to many of them starting life as mods for such games. The unique and arguably most compelling aspect of SMNC is that it applies the MOBA concept to the core mechanics of a 3rd-Person Shooter. This is a huge boon for folks like myself who are much bigger fans of first or third person shooters than RTS games as a general rule. What can I say? I like running around and shooting things in the face! :)

The tricky thing with MOBAs is that they tend to be fairly dense mechanically and strategically. There's just a ton of stuff happening all the time and it can be a little overwhelming for new players, even those experienced with traditional RTS and/or FPS games to immediately grasp exactly what's happening and how to effectively contribute to the overall success of their team.

SMNC makes some valiant efforts to assist new players by giving them an interactive tutorial area and access to a practice mode against bots. The game also features skill-based matchmaking that in theory should match up new or at least less experienced players with each other, but to me there's one really key feature missing in this regard.

If you look at a game like "League of Legends" and chart the path of its success, it's pretty easy to see how the inclusion of a co-op mode allowing friends to team up against computer-controlled teams went a long way to making that game more accessible and enjoyable for new players. To be clear, SMNC has a practice mode but there are no computer-controlled heroes (or "Pros" as the game calls them) to play against; just the standard creeps, which don't present much of a challenge without Pros assisting them. You also can't practice with friends, instead being grouped with random players, which doesn't allow for training with the people you intend to play with in a risk-free scenario.

Having said all that, SMNC is a game that is constantly evolving. Every week or so, there is a new patch with tweaks to rules, Pros, arenas, abilities, user interface and a host of other variables that quite literally change the game – more often than not for the better. Given the improvements I've seen over the past few weeks, I would not be at all surprised if SMNC eventually adopted a co-op system akin to that found in "League of Legends" or any number of other significant new features and enhancements.

The bottom line is that SMNC is already a great game and with a price tag of "free" and the ability to earn most if not all of the available content simply by playing the game, it's something that anyone with the slightest interest should definitely try.

Super Monday Night Combat (via Steam)

More Thoughts on More Games

Despite a significant chunk of my time being devoted to the development of my next iOS game, I have been playing some other folks' recently-released games that I've been enjoying enough to warrant a post. While I've played through a decent chunk of each, these shouldn't be taken as "reviews," just some comments about my experiences with them:

Ashura's Wrath (PS3/360)

If you like anime, if you like power fantasies, if you like seeing your television brim to capacity with the finest in nearly-overwhelming absurdity, you need to play this game. And yes, it IS a game. The cut scenes and quick time events are copious but they are also masterfully executed in a way that feels more engaging and direct than many other more traditional games. Is it for everyone? No, but if it's for you, you'll love it.

Ridge Racer: Unbounded (PC/PS3/360)

It comes across as a sort of "Greatest Hits" of arcade racers, with features and presentation that feel like they were cribbed from predecessors in the genre like "Burnout," "Blur," "Split Second" and others, but that really shouldn't be a surprise given developer Bugbear's previous "Flatout" series, which is a great, if somewhat derivative, arcade racing experience all its own.

Having said that, the pieces really come together in this game in an interesting and satisfying way. From the built-in track editor to the mechanically simple yet tactically technical driving model to the way the game instantly restarts races without pesky loading screens, there's a general feel of quality and novelty to "Ridge Racer: Unbounded" that's a refreshing change from what's come to be expected from the series.

It's biggest weakness from what I've seen so far is that it can be very unforgiving. For a game that's about smashing through things that you'd normally drive around, it's surprisingly easy to fall behind by crashing into impenetrable objects or being taken out by other racers. It's certainly not a deal breaker but go into this one knowing that it can be very challenging despite the esthetics.

SSX (PS3/360)

For me, "SSX 3" was the ultimate snowboarding game. It had everything I was looking for from an extreme sports title: a cool trick system and cool places to use it. The new SSX is a bit more uneven as a total package with far more peaks and valleys, both literal and figurative.

When it's good and you're screaming down one of the many well-designed runs, stringing together tricks and feeling completely connected to what's happening on screen, it is simply sublime. Conversely, when the camera freaks out, or you get stuck somewhere in the middle of a run or you find yourself plummeting into one of the many bottomless pits that litter some of the areas, you'll find yourself yelling at the screen and clenching your controller in frustration.

There's a lot to like in this game, but there are also significant problems. It's not the gem that "SSX 3" was, but it does bring enough new that works to the table like a clever asynchronous multiplayer system (RiderNet) some unique and stimulating challenges in several of the "Deadly Descent" missions (though some of these are not so good) and its stellar HD presentation and soundtrack that it's pretty easy to overlook the blemishes.

Initial Impressions - Jagged Alliance: Back in Action

Turn-based strategy games are where it's at as far as I'm concerned and my favorite sub-genre of the turn based medium is definitely the squad-based strategy RPG. Games like "X-COM," "Incubation," "Fire Emblem" and the previous "Jagged Alliance" games helped set the bar in terms of what I consider to be gaming perfection. For that reason, I was equally excited to learn that a new "Jagged Alliance" game was in development and terrified at the developer's desire to include "real-time" elements in it.

Having spent a little over six hours with the game, I can tell you that my fear has been almost completely erased and replaced with a joy that I haven't felt from a game in years. If not for a few minor problems, which I could see being easily fixed in a patch, this game could indeed be a perfect single-player experience.

Where to begin? Okay, for the benefit of those familiar with the "Jagged Alliance" series who are wondering if this game is a true JA game, the answer is "Yes!" "Back in Action" was clearly made by people who care about the legacy of the previous games and had not only the vision and guile to attempt to improve upon them, but also the technical chops to make that vision a reality.

I will admit that I was a bit concerned when I first got into combat that I wouldn't be able to control the battlefield in the way that the previous JA titles' purely turn-based systems allowed, but my fears were quickly put to rest when I came to grips with "Back in Action's" new-school approach to tactical combat.

In a word, it's "genius." If anything, the new system provides even more tactical options than were present in any of the previous JA games but lets you decide when the action should play out in real time or be paused manually or automatically by a slew of event triggers that can be toggled on and off in the game's options. With all the auto-pause options on, the combat plays a lot like previous JA games, with the action stopping when a new enemy comes into view or dies, or when one of your mercenaries is wounded or runs out of ammo. This gives you the opportunity to cue up actions for your mercs then resume the action to see everything play out or pause it again mid-stream to alter tactics on the fly. The best part about this system is that you can basically walk around in real time, exploring areas, scouting enemy positions and looting the fallen, safe in the knowledge that as soon as an enemy comes into view or some other important event happens, the game will automatically pause and let you get all strategic on its face!

It's almost unbelievable to me just how well this new system works. It far exceeds anything I'd dared to hope for from this new game and is a real love letter to the original games; taking everything that was great about them, improving it and cutting out the (Dare I say?) tedious bits like turn-based searching and looting which, let's be honest, were the price we used to have to pay to enjoy what JA had to offer.

For newcomers, this is a perfect point of entry. This game would be almost indecipherable to the uninitiated without a good tutorial. Fortunately, it has one, but that's where the hand-holding ends. The good news is that it's pretty easy to intuit the things that the tutorial doesn't cover by simply examining the user interface and its various tool tips. Gamers who've grown up on or become accustomed to games that practically play themselves will no doubt balk at the way "Back in Action" sort of throws you to the wolves right from the start of the game proper, but others will appreciate it giving them intellectual credit for being able to figure out things for themselves and make their own decisions about how to approach its myriad of tactical and strategic choices.

The result is a game that's a little tough to wrap your head around at first but becomes progressively more rewarding as you unravel it's mysteries and nuances. You will feel like the world's biggest bad ass when you finish the first real mission, which involves securing an airport to serve as a foothold base of operations and subsequent missions ramp up in a manner fitting of the genre with the stakes always getting higher, your team always getting better and your attachment to your individual mercs rising to almost unhealthy proportions. You want them to get better. You want them to win, but most-importantly, you want them to survive! :)

I haven't played enough of "Back in Action" yet to give it a proper review, but my enjoyment of what I've experienced so far has been intense. I have noticed a couple annoying bugs, one that trapped one of my mercs behind a desk for the last few minutes of the second mission when an NPC I'd rescued refused to get out of his way and let him leave the building and a couple line of sight issues where I wasn't able to shoot enemies I clearly should have been able to hit. The good news about the LoS issue is if you can't hit them, they can't hit you either, so you don't find yourself in situations where you're getting picked apart by gunfire without being able to retaliate. You just have to move a bit or wait for the enemy to move into a better LoS scenario. As is typical for these sorts of games, shooting from around corners and inside/around doorways can sometimes trigger a LoS issue.

Having said that, this game so far feels more like a great game with a few minor problems than a good game struggling to be great. Highly recommended for fans of the series or anyone looking for something truly original and different from pretty much anything else currently available.

Jagged Alliance: Back in Action (via Steam)

One Heck of a Week

I'm not ashamed to admit that when I first decided to take the plunge into indie game development, I was almost completely ignorant and perhaps a bit naive as to what goes into promoting a game. In a lot of ways, my professional career had well prepared me for creating the game itself, but how to make people aware of it and convincing them to purchase it were things I struggled with for months after the game was finished and available for sale. In retrospect, it's a small miracle that I was able to drum up any coverage at all for "Powergrids" because it came out at one of the busiest times in one of the best years for gaming in recent memory.

Given my lack of knowledge and experience, it's no wonder that it's only been within the past week that "Powergrids" has attracted significant attention from iOS gamers around the world, but in the end, it wasn't so much what I did, but what others let me do and did for me that's made any sort of progress possible.

It began last week when "Powergrids" was featured on The Joystiq Indie Pitch, a process that I'd started way back in November when I first contacted Jess Conditt about the possibility of being included in the series. Needless to say, that's not something that happens overnight, but knowing at a certain point that it was going to happen allowed me to prepare for it and make the most of the opportunity.

One thing I didn't consider and was frankly blown away by was how big an impact the publication of that interview would have on Twitter. Within a day of it going live, there were dozens of tweets to thousands of followers by people and bots that had picked up the story from Joystiq and tweeted it themselves. It was at that moment that I realized just how important Twitter has become and how glad I was that I'd set up my Twitter accounts before all this happened. :)

And then today it happened, the moment I'd been waiting for since I released "Powergrids" back in October. An honest to goodness video game publication reviewed it, and the review was good! :)

The big thing I hoped for when I started down this path was that "Powergrids" would do well enough to fund development of another, bigger, better game. While that hasn't happened yet, I remain hopeful that it will. Still, I have to accept reality and have begun work on a second game that fits into the constraints of my current development budget. It's not the game I'd hoped to make, but it will still be great and a worthy successor to "Powergrids."

I've learned a lot from this experience so far and I'm looking forward to completing and promoting my next game using what I've learned. I'm not sure how much time I'll have for blogging after this week, but I wanted to thank everyone who's helped me get this far; both the people who've bought the game and those who've helped me promote it.

Stay tuned to this blog and my Twitter account @mdshotter for the latest on "Powergrids" and my next game!

The 11 Best Co-Op Games of 2011

Having officially made the transition from a person who writes about games to a person who makes games, I find it a little odd writing a post like this one now; however, I think there is some genuine value in sharing my thoughts on games that I've played and enjoyed. Given all the coverage of gaming that already exists, the only thing I can really hope to bring to the table when talking about games are my own personal experiences with them, so I've concluded that topics like this remain viable, at least for now.

Still, I'd feel a little weird doing a "Best of 2011" list that could potentially include my own game on it. So, I'm going to sidestep that issue and simultaneously address an aspect of gaming that I feel is often overlooked when constructing these sorts of lists: co-operative or co-op play.

In a lot of ways, co-op has become one of the most important things I look for when selecting what new games to play. As I get older, and my time becomes more and more limited, I find myself less and less inclined to spend large chunks of it playing single-player games. Granted, there's a part of me that will always love the sense of immersion and focus and ownership that comes from a great single-player experience, but there's an even bigger part that really appreciates the ability to tie social interactions into gaming. Those shared experiences, when done well, are so satisfying, so worthwhile, that they quite simply bring a deeper meaning and value to gaming as a hobby for me.

So, without further delay, here are my top 11 (see what I did there?) co-op games of 2011:

#11 - Portal 2

I know a lot of people will bemoan this game not appearing higher on the list, but the truth is that I found the co-op in Portal 2 simply "good." I totally appreciate the craftsmanship and novelty of it, but I also have to acknowledge that it didn't click for me the way any of the other games I considered for this list did. So, for me, this is where it belongs.

#10 - F.E.A.R. 3

In some important ways, "F.E.A.R. 3" is a very average game. The shooting mechanics, the combat scenarios, the enemy designs all feel a little "been there, done that" having played a lot of First-Person Shooters (FPS) over the years; however, there's just enough going on in this game to keep it moving. Whether it's the occasional mech suit for player one, or the special psychic abilities player 2 sports, or just wanting to see the next totally messed up thing that happens as the campaign unfolds; there's just enough there to make the shared experience worthwhile. This is a great example of a game I never would have bothered to play through myself but that was pretty fun with a buddy at my side. The other co-op focused multiplayer modes are also cool.

#9 - Hunted: The Demon's Forge

This is a game that won me over despite some annoyances. I really like the idea of a co-op Action/Adventure game with RPG elements where the strengths and weaknesses of the two unique characters compliment each other. Some of the environmental design felt a bit lackluster and there's some definite jank hurting the core gameplay, but there are also some great high points that kept things moving and made the overall experience worthwhile. Much like "F.E.A.R. 3," this is a game that needs to be played co-operatively to be any real fun.

#8 - Sanctum

Unlike a lot of the other games on this list, "Sanctum" is something I enjoy playing solo or with friends. The hybrid FPS/Tower Defense mechanic really works and if not for some annoying difficulty spikes and balance issues, which supposedly have been patched since the last time I fired it up, this one would have been higher on the list, but regardless, the things it does right outweigh the things is does (did) wrong.

#7 - Battlefield 3

As a huge fan of "Battlefield 2," "Battlefield 2142," "Battlefield 1943" and "Battlefield: Bad Company 2," it really pains me that this game didn't quite live up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong. "Battlefield 3" (BF3) is a great co-op game, but I also recognize its shortcomings. For every new bell and whistle, there's a missing or ignored feature. For every innovation, there's a step backward. The overall experience is still great, but I have to say that BF3 has not quite captured me the way that "Bad Company 2" did and I've found myself returning more and more to that game as BF3's "new and shiny" factor begins to fade. Who knows what BF3 will be like six months from now, but at the moment it's not quite good enough to make the top half of this list.

#6 - Star Wars: The Old Republic

I've played a lot of WoW (World of Warcraft). To be blunt, an almost un-healthy amount of it and that game will always hold a special place in my heart, but in most respects, WoW has left me filled to the brim with the trappings of the MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) genre. As a result, I had resolved to not even try "Star Wars: The Old Republic" because of its evident, almost slavish devotion to the tropes of the genre. It therefore speaks volumes about the game's quality that once convinced to give it a try, I find it at all worthwhile. Unsurprisingly, it's the things about it that are different from WoW (the emphasis on interactive story presentation and the fact that everyone gets a "pet" to name a couple) that make it worth playing for me.  Having said that, I don't see myself playing this game for years the way I did with WoW, but it is compelling, and fun, and for the most part well made.

#5 - Dungeon Defenders

If this were all about value for money, "Dungeon Defenders" would be the #1 game on this list without question. The sheer amount of content that's been jammed into the overall game package is almost overwhelming. Much like "Sanctum," the melding of the Action-RPG and Tower Defense genres present in this game is so well executed that it really is in a class by itself. Having said that, this is a game that I never play alone. For me, it only works when playing with at least one or two other people, be them friends or random folks online. Still, it's a great game and well worth every penny.

#4 - Brink

I love this game. I love it in a way that's almost dangerous to my credibility because so many other people seem to hate it, but for my money, "Brink" is the best co-operative FPS experience of 2011. If you haven't played it, and you're not playing it with other people, you're doing it wrong. In a lot of ways, the innovations in this game were what I was hoping for and didn't get from "Battlefield 3." Is it perfect? No. Is it for everyone? No, but if it clicks for you, you'll be hard pressed to find a better Team/Objective-Based FPS.

#3 - Dead Island

Best four-player co-op game since "Borderlands." Best first-person melee fighting in a while. Great weapon/gadget crafting system. Great environmental diversity. Serviceable story and quest structure. In short, a must-play if you've got friends to play it with. "Dead Island" is the closest you can get to seeing how your social circle would handle a zombie apocalypse without getting infected. :)

#2 - Lord of the Rings: War in the North

Perhaps I love this game because it was such a pleasant surprise. Perhaps I was taken in by just how well it captures the feeling of being in Middle Earth and being one of its heroes, or perhaps it is simply one of the best co-op Action/Adventure games with RPG elements ever made. The moment to moment action is great. The sense of "fellowship" and shared experience playing it with friends provides is fantastic and the overall package just comes together in a way that many other games should envy. I will never understand how this game didn't get more critical love because it was easily one of the best co-op games I've played in this or any other year.

#1 - Saints Row: The Third

The thing that makes "Saints Row: The Third" so special is surprisingly easy to define. It is fun. Just about every moment from beginning to end is individually or some combination of funny, clever, innovative, delightfully-crass, original, empowering or exhilarating. Yes, it can be a bit low brow and the subject matter's certainly not After-School Special worthy, but it all works and entertains on some level. Now consider that all of those experiences can be shared with a friend and it's clear how this is not just the best co-op game of the year, but the best game of 2011. (See what I did there? And yes, I played "Skyrim," but then I took an arrow... Oh, never mind!)

Division of Labor

I know. I know. It's been over three months since my last post and for that reason alone I don't expect that many people will see this right away, but if I'm going to keep this thing going I need to start somewhere so I might as well begin by explaining why there haven't been any posts for three months. :)

It should come as no surprise to anyone who read my last post that I've been spending considerable time and effort over the past few months promoting the release of "Powergrids" for iOS. In point of fact, I've spent nearly as much time marketing this version of the game as I spent creating it but I'm rapidly reaching the bottom of my bag of tricks and coming to the realization that I need to move on to a new project and let the cards fall where they will where "Powergrids" is concerned.

This is in no way a bad thing since I'm more than ready to move on creatively, but the simple truth is that the better "Powergrids" sells, the more options and flexibility I have when defining the scope of my next project, so it was very necessary for me to pursue every reasonable path toward making as many potential customers aware of it as possible.

As with anything in life, looking back on it, there are some things I definitely could have done better that I will absolutely be keeping in mind in the future, but overall, I'm happy with what I've done and learned thus far, and managed to pull off what I believe to be a few really great marketing coups for an indie iOS game created and marketed by a single person.

In particular, there is one remaining promotional effort, which should be bearing fruit within the next few days that I tend to view as a sort of "last chance" for mainstream recognition of the game. As a result, I've found myself compelled to consider two distinct outcomes that basically amount to nothing or everything about my future plans changing. Needless to say, waiting to see how that event plays out has proven... difficult, but it's also been very interesting in the sense that my overall goal will remain the same regardless of the outcome. The only thing that will change is the way I go about it.

I know that's all a bit cryptic but it's reflective of my current state of mind. A good analogy would be knowing that you're planning to go somewhere far away but not knowing until the last minute the mode of transportation. Will it be a rocket or a bicycle? That remains to be seen.

Powergrids now on iOS!

Those of you who were fans of "Gaming's Edge" may recall the web/Flash-based puzzle game I did for that site, "Powergridz," which was online and referenced on a slew of different Flash game sites from 2005-2010. One of the things I hated about having to shut down "Gaming's Edge" and its associated servers was having to remove "Powergridz" from the web. With no convenient way to host it and the backend app that managed things like high scores, it simply went away.

As fate would have it, I recently had the opportunity to immerse myself in the world of iOS (iPhone/iPad) development for a few months. I pretty quickly realized that the "Powergridz" concept was a natural fit for the touch-based interfaces of those devices and the iPad in particular; so I decided to take a serious stab at updating the game for deployment on the iOS App Store.

Long and extremely-nerdy story short: I did it! :)

I decided to drop the "z" since that was kinda part of the whole "Gaming's Edge" meta-joke and added a bunch of new features like an Enhanced game mode and support for Apple's Game Center Leaderboard & Achievement systems. I also made the app universal so it runs on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

I could go into all the nitty-gritty details about all the technical stuff that went into actually making this happen, but the real point is that "Powergrids" is back and better than ever. Huzzah!

Powergrids Official Site

App Store Link

Some Thoughts on Some Games

Been kinda busy lately. Not much time for blog posts, but here are a few quick comments on some games that I've been playing recently.

Hunted: The Demon's Forge (Windows)

I like this game. Like so many others these days, it has problems, but they're pretty easy to overlook, especially if you're playing with a friend. Everyone who complains about there being no good co-op games should pick this up and play it with a friend. It will occasionally frustrate you, but there will be more good times than bad.

F.E.A.R. 3 (Windows)

Again, lots of good co-op action to be had with this game. Some folks are complaining about the intangibles in this one; saying things like, "It's not as scary or atmospheric as its predecessors." Whatever. :) Shoot things in the face with your friends and embrace the silliness. You'll have fun. Don't have any friends? Then this probably isn't your game. :)

Two Worlds II (Windows)

This is a game I wish I would have had when I was 13. There's an awful lot to it and I respect the almost slavish hardcore, old-school RPG-ishness of it, but I doubt I'll ever have the time or will to experience it properly or fully. I'm sure people looking for what this game has to offer will really enjoy it, but it's a bit much for me at the moment. :)

Test Drive Unlimited 2 (Windows)

This is a game I really want to love and in some respects I really do, but there's just enough jank to it to keep it from really fulfilling its potential. That being said, it's still a lot of fun, but go into it knowing that certain aspects of it will occasionally frustrate you, be it the handling model, the performance of the game engine at speed or the uneven quality of some of the art assets. There have been quite a few patches for it and it has improved noticeably since launch, but it's still more of a guilty pleasure than a true gem. The biggest thing it has going for it is that there's really nothing else quite like it out there.

Modern Combat: Domination (Mac)

I've talked about this budget shooter and my unhealthy obsession with the PS3 version of it before. Just a quick note that it has come to the Mac via Apple's Mac App Store and the Mac version is actually quite good. More and more iOS games are making the jump to OS X as it's a pretty easy migration path and it's nice to see the Mac getting a few fun "exclusives" even if the gaming elite may turn their noses up at them.